Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1887-03-03
A BOY HERO.

History Of the Work Of Hiram Dudley Buck
In the Saving OF Human Lives.
In the long and honorable roll of
those who have saved tho lives OF
others at the imminent risk OF then
own. it is doubtful y you will find an
other record to match that OF young
Hiram Dudley Buck. There are men
whose occupations give them peculiar
opportunities for imperiling their own
lives for those Of their fellow men; and
there are women too-for who can for
get the noble work OF the English
Grace Darling and her American coun-
terpart, Ida Lewis?-whose names have
been aided to the roll of honor while
they have been yet young; but seldom,
II ever, has II been given to lad to
save four persons from death by drown
ing. before completing his sixteenth
year, rs has been the case with the sub
ject Of this sketch.
Hiram Dudley Buck was born Mt
Crown Point, Essex County. New York,
In 1868. 1t was when he was only ten
years old that he was called upon to
perform the first OF the brave deeds
which are to be recorded here. His
sister Ellie. a girl few years older
than himself, was bathing in Putnam's
creek, near their home In Essex County,
In company with some friends. In
order to keep aaoat in deep water she
had fastened rubber life-prescrvcr
riiitt.. ,.-..-, S.i ii,i. trs,arhurttis aid
slipped from its place. and, becoming
entanglcd with her feet. threw her
head under water. Dudley. the ten
year.old boy. was attracted from dis
tance by the frantic cries OF his sisters
playmates. and running up. he plunged
into the deep water, and despite the
drowning girls greater size and weight,
succeeded in bringing her ashore.
The following summer Dudley and q
number of young friends were fishing
of a high dam at Crown Point Centre.
A careless action on the part OF one OF
the BOYS threw Freddie B into the
seething waters below the dam; and
though there were perhaps q dozen boys
present. only one Of them had the cour-
age to leap In to Freddie's assistance.
As soon rs he realized his friends peril
for he knew that the boy could not
swim-Dudlcy unhesitatingly sprang
into tho water. caught tho struggling
boy rs he rose TO the surface. and ut
length brought him ashore, though not
until his strength was almost ex-
hausted.
In August, 1884, party OF young
people were bathing In Schroon Lake,
among whom were Sam and Kate
Rand Dudley Buck. Sam could swim
n little, but his sister was more daring
than prudent, and declaring that she
could 60 where her brother went, she
followed him into deep water. In q
few moments she was in distress, and
clutching Sam, who had turned to as
sist her, she dragged him down with
her. Dudley was resting on the bank.
but rs soon rs he saw the peril his
friends were In he dived after them.
and found them actually at the bottom
of the lake. With great difficulty he
disengagcd the girls arms from her
brothers. neck, and brought the two
to the surface. Kate's instinct OF
sclf.preservation, which but for
Dudley had drowned both her brothss
and herself. now endangered the lifaPt
their gallant rescuer, and It was only
with extreme difficulty that Dudley
could control her sufficiently to bring
himself and Ler safely into shallow
water. =,
Such acis Of gallantry as have been
here recited, all performed by slad un.
! der sixteen years Il age, are worthy Oh
whatever public recognition 1t Is In the
power Of gratsful government to
bestow. 1t is pleasant, therefore, to be
nble to record the fact that the Con-
gress Of .l,o United States of America
has awarded Z to young Dudley
Buck It's silser life-saying medal.
| The silver medal which Dudley thus re-
ceiyed Is the highest honor that the
Government can bestow, the gold
medal provided for under the acts oil
Congress being awarded only for say.
ing life In salt-wster. The medal
awarded Is OF sterling silver, and about
twice the size Of silver dollar. Hiram
Dudley Buck wears another medal
which he must value highly. 1t is u
ave-pointed star surrounded by .
wreath, all in solid gold, and bears this
inscription: "Life-saving medal pre-
sented to Hiram Dudley Buck fol
heroism in ,rescuing from drowning
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS."
Itwas presented TO him by tho fo'i'
friends who owe their lives to hi'
.comsae, Aeroism. and humanity.